Seed coring system and method for arranging seed cores for analysis

ABSTRACT

A coring device includes a base portion that receives an arrayed plurality of samples, the base portion including a plurality of vertically oriented slider rods. A coring portion including an arrayed plurality of samples is slidable along the vertically oriented slider rods between a retracted position and an actuated position where cores are taken from the samples. An extraction portion including arrayed plurality of extraction pins aligned with the arrayed plurality of coring tubes for insertion therein is also slidable along the vertically oriented slider rods between a retracted position and an actuated position where the extraction pins eject cores from the coring tubes. A coring drive mechanism is provided to mechanically move the coring portion between the retracted position and the actuated position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/216,382 filed Aug. 31, 2005, which claims domestic priority to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/444,939 filed May 31, 2003, which claimsdomestic priority from U.S. Provisional Application for Patent Ser. No.60/383,560 filed May 24, 2002, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the coring of agricultural products,more specifically, seeds (and even more particularly, soybeans), forresearch and analysis.

Agricultural product testing, research, analysis and breeding requiresthe production and handling of a large number of samples. Take, forexample, research and development efforts concerning the breeding ofimproved varieties of seeds, such as, soybeans. Careful analysis of theseeds, and more specifically, the cores, germs and/or endosperms of suchseeds (i.e., the samples), is critical to the detection of traits ofinterest and the efforts to screen seeds for the presence of thesetraits and effectuate the propagation of desired traits throughselective breeding in subsequent generations.

A number of destructive techniques are known in the art for obtainingthese samples for analysis. Dissection is one well known method forseparating germ from endosperm. Coring is another well known method forrecovering a seed core for analysis. Each of these methods is, however,generally manually implemented at great expense of manpower resources,money and time. This, accordingly, significantly adds to the cost ofsample analysis and delays its completion. This is especiallyfrustrating in agricultural product breeding programs where the monetaryissues significantly raise the overall cost of breeding new seed linesand the time issues can significantly delay the selection process andproduction of each new generation.

A need therefore exists for an automated technique for producingagricultural samples from seeds. More specifically, a need exists for anautomated technique for obtaining cores from seeds, such as, soybeans.Still further, a need exists for a method of more efficiently handlingcores for analysis.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a coring system. The coring systemincludes a coring plate having an arrayed plurality of openings intowhich are mounted a plurality of coring tubes. A mechanical drivemechanism is operable to translate the coring plate between a retractedposition and an activated position. When translated toward the activatedposition, the plurality of coring tubes act to core a correspondinglyarrayed plurality of objects (such as, for example, seeds).

The coring system may further include an extraction plate having anarrayed plurality of openings aligned with the arrayed plurality ofopenings in the coring plate, the extraction openings mounting aplurality of extraction pins positioned for insertion within an openingof a corresponding coring tube. Translation of the extraction plate froma retracted position toward an activated position causes the extractionpins to eject cores from the coring tubes.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a coring deviceincludes a base portion that receives an arrayed plurality of samples,the base portion having a plurality of vertically oriented slider rods.A coring portion including an arrayed plurality of coring tubes alignedwith the arrayed plurality of samples is slidable along the verticallyoriented slider rods between a retracted position and an actuatedposition where cores are taken from the samples. An extraction portionincluding an arrayed plurality of extraction pins aligned with thearrayed plurality of coring tubes for insertion therein is also slidablealong the vertically oriented slider rods between a retracted positionand an actuated position where the extraction pins eject cores from thecoring tubes. A drive mechanism is provided to mechanically move thecoring portion between the retracted position and the actuated position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of the presentinvention may be acquired by reference to the following DetailedDescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram of a tube for holding seeds to becored;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are views (perspective and cross-sectional,respectively) of a tube holding block;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram of a tube 18 for holding cores 20taken from seeds;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are views (perspective and cross-sectional,respectively) of a well rack for holding tubes;

FIG. 5 is an orthogonal view of a base portion of a coring system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an orthogonal view of a coring portion of the coring system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a side view of a coring tube;

FIG. 8 is an orthogonal view of an extraction portion of the coringsystem in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a side view of an extraction pin;

FIG. 10 is an orthogonal view of a drive portion of the coring system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 11 is an illustration of a belt/pulley drive train used within thedrive portion;

FIG. 12 is an exploded orthogonal view of the coring system of thepresent invention;

FIG. 13 is an assembled orthogonal view of the coring system of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 14A-14C are side views of the coring system of the presentinvention sequentially illustrating its operation;

FIG. 15 is a top view of an exemplary block like that shown in FIGS. 2Aand 2B;

FIG. 16 is a top view of an exemplary well rack like that shown in FIGS.4A and 4B; and

FIG. 17 is a table mapping sample locations from two source blocks to asingle well rack.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 wherein there is shown a cross-sectionaldiagram of a tube 10 for holding seeds 12 to be cored. The tube 10 is ofa common, commercial size and shape suitable for containing at leastone, and more preferably more than one, seed 12. In a preferredimplementation for use in coring soybeans, the tube 10 is a 5 mLpolypropylene culture tube having dimensions of 12 mm by 75 mm that maycontain up to eight (hydrated) soybeans (four seeds are shownillustrated). Such a tube 10 may be obtained from VWR International(Catalog No. 60818-383 or 60818-430).

Reference is now made to FIGS. 2A and 2B wherein there are shown views(perspective and cross-sectional, respectively) of a block 14 forholding tubes 10. The block 14 is sized (in width and length) to hold aplurality of tubes 10 in a corresponding plurality of openings 16 formedin a top surface of the block. Any number of openings 16 may be providedin the block 14 as needed. In a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the number of openings 16 may correspond to the number ofsimultaneous coring operations to be performed. In a more preferredembodiment, the number of openings 16 is an integer multiple (forexample, two) of the number of simultaneous coring operations to beperformed. The block 14 may be manufactured from any suitable syntheticmaterial, for example, high density polyethylene.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3 wherein there is shown a cross-sectionaldiagram of a tube 18 for holding cores 20 taken from seeds 12. The tube18 is of a common, commercial size and shape suitable for containing atleast one, and more preferably more than one, core 20. In a preferredimplementation for use in coring soybeans, the tube 18 is a 1.4 mLpolypropylene sample tube that may contain up to eight extracted soybeancores (four are shown illustrated). Such a tube 18 may be obtained fromVWR International (Catalog No. 77776-010).

Reference is now made to FIGS. 4A and 4B wherein there are shown views(perspective and cross-sectional, respectively) of a well rack 22 forholding tubes 18. The well rack 22 is sized (in width and length) tohold a plurality of tubes 18 in a corresponding plurality of openings 24formed in a top surface thereof. Any number of openings 24 may beprovided in the well rack 22 as needed. In a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, the number of openings 24 may correspond to thenumber of simultaneous coring operations to be performed. The well rackmay be obtained from a number of commercial sources including VWRInternational (Catalog No. 77776-000) and Matrix (Catalog No. 225-MA).

Reference is now made in combination to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 4A and 4B. Theinter-opening spacing (d1) between the openings 16 is chosen during themanufacture of the block 14 to allow for ease of manipulation of theplurality of tubes 10 within a reasonably sized block 14. Additionally,and perhaps more importantly, the inter-opening spacing (d1) is chosenduring manufacture of the block 14 in a particular relation to theinter-opening spacing (d2) between the openings 24 in the selected,commercially available, well rack 22. The relationship between theinter-opening spacing (d1) and the inter-opening spacing (d2) isparticularly chosen such that the spacing d1 is an integer multiple ofthe spacing d2 (for example, two). By choosing such a relationship, amore efficient method (to be described in more detail herein) may beimplemented for loading seed cores 20 extracted from the tubes 10 intothe tubes 18.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5 wherein there is shown an orthogonalview of a base portion 30 of a coring system in accordance with thepresent invention. The base portion includes a system supporting baseplate 32. A slot 34 is formed in a top surface of the base plate 32extending inwards from one edge thereof with a size (width and length)at least sufficient to separately receive the well rack 22 (FIG. 4A) andthe block 14 in each of a number of positions and/or orientations (aswill be described). At about each of the corners of the base plate 32, aslider rod 36 is mounted and extends perpendicularly from the topsurface. The function of these slider rods 36 will be explained later inmore detail. An alignment block 38 is positioned to lie spaced above andover a back portion 40 of the slot 34. The alignment block 38 includes aplurality of holes 42 arranged in a pattern and spaced apart from eachother in a manner that substantially matches at least a fractionalportion of (for example, one-half), if not all of, the holes 16 for theblock 14 (FIG. 2A). The base portion 30 further includes a pair ofthreaded rods 44, each rotatably mounted to a tapered bearing 46 that issecured to the top surface of the base plate 32 on opposite sides of theslot 34. The threaded rods 44 extend perpendicularly from the topsurface of the base plate 32 in a manner parallel to the slider rods 36.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6 wherein there is shown an orthogonalview of a coring portion 50 of the coring system in accordance with thepresent invention. The coring portion 50 includes a coring plate 52mounted to an opposed pair of rigidity beams 54. The rigidity beams 54help strengthen the coring plate 52 and assist in resisting deformationand/or twisting of the plate caused by operation of the system. At abouteach of the corners of the coring plate 52, an opening 56 is providedperpendicular to the top surface of the plate and extending through theplate and the rigidity beam 54. A low friction collar (not illustrated)is inserted into each of the openings to allow the slider rods 36 (see,FIG. 5; with position shown by dotted lines 58) to pass there-throughwith minimal frictional resistance. The coring plate 52 includes aplurality of holes 60 arranged in a pattern and spaced apart from eachother in a manner that substantially matches the holes 42 in thealignment block 38 (FIG. 5). In this way, the holes 60, like the holes42, are arranged in a pattern and spaced apart from each other in amanner that substantially matches at least a fractional portion of (forexample, one-half), if not all of, the holes 16 for the block 14 (FIG.2A). Inserted into, and secured within, each of the holes 60 is acylindrical, hollow, coring tube 62 (shown also in FIG. 7 having asharpened end 64) whose inner diameter is sized to be slightly largerthan an expected size of the cores 20 of the seeds 12 (see, FIGS. 1 and3). The tubes 62 extend away from a bottom surface of the coring plate52. Mounted to the top surface of the coring plate 52 on opposite sidesof the pattern of holes 60 is a pair of threaded power nuts 66 that aresecured using a corresponding pair of mounting flanges 68. The powernuts 66 are centered over a pair of openings (not explicitlyillustrated) that are provide perpendicular to the top surface of theplate 52 and extend there-through. The holes for the power nuts 66 arepositioned for alignment with the location of the threaded rods 44 (see,FIG. 5; with position shown by dotted lines 70) to allow passagethere-through and further to allow the threads of the rods 44 to engagethe threads of the nuts 66.

Reference is now made to FIG. 8 wherein there is shown an orthogonalview of an extraction portion 80 of the coring system in accordance withthe present invention. The extraction portion 80 includes an extractionplate 82 mounted to an opposed pair of rigidity beams 84. The rigiditybeams 84 help strengthen the extraction plate 82 and assist in resistingdeformation and/or twisting of the plate caused by operation of thesystem. At about each of the corners of the extraction plate 82, anopening 86 is provided perpendicular to the top surface of the plate andextending through the plate and the rigidity beam 84. A low frictioncollar (not illustrated) is inserted into each of the openings to allowthe slider rods 36 (see, FIG. 5; with position shown by dotted lines 58)to pass there-through with minimal frictional resistance. The extractionplate 82 includes a plurality of holes 90 arranged in a pattern andspaced apart from each other in a manner that substantially matches theholes 42 in the alignment block 38 (FIG. 5) and the holes 60 in thecoring plate 52. In this way, the holes 90, like the holes 42 and 60,are arranged in a pattern and spaced apart from each other in a mannerthat substantially matches at least a fractional portion of (forexample, one-half), if not all of, the holes 16 for the block 14 (FIG.2A). Inserted into, and secured within, each of the holes 90 is acylindrical extraction pin 92 (shown also in FIG. 9) whose outerdiameter is sized to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of thecoring tube 62 (FIG. 7) and generally about the expected size of thecores 20 of the seeds 12 (see, FIGS. 1 and 3). The pins 92 extend awayfrom a bottom surface of the extraction plate 82. The extraction plate82 further includes a pair of openings 94 (one explicitly illustrated)provided perpendicular to the top surface of the plate and extendingthere-through, and positioned for alignment with the location of thethreaded rods 44 (see, FIG. 5; with position shown by dotted lines 70)to allow free passage there-through. The extraction portion 80 furtherincludes a pair of opposed control handles 96 mounted to the rigiditybeams 84.

Reference is now made to FIG. 10 wherein there is shown an orthogonalview of a drive portion 100 of the coring system in accordance with thepresent invention. The drive portion 100 includes a cap plate 102. Atabout each of the corners of the cap plate 82, an opening 104 isprovided perpendicular to the top surface of the plate and extendingthrough the plate. An appropriate fastening device (such as, forexample, a nut, clip or collar) is inserted into each of the openings104 for mounting the cap plate 102 to the slider rods 36 (see, FIG. 5;with position shown by dotted lines 58). The cap plate 102 furtherincludes a pair of openings (not explicitly illustrated) providedperpendicular to the top surface of the plate and extendingthere-through, and positioned for alignment with the location of thethreaded rods 44 (see, FIG. 5; with position shown by dotted lines 70)to allow passage there-through using a pair of tapered bearings (notexplicitly shown).

Reference is now additionally made to FIG. 11. Within an enclosure 106,the drive portion 100 includes a belt/pulley drive train 130 thatconnects to the pair of threaded rods 44 and when driven in a manner tobe described causes the threaded rods to similarly rotate in eitherdirection. The belt/pulley drive train 130 includes a pair of drivepulleys 132 and 134, a tensioning pulley 138 and a belt (for example, atiming belt) 136. The first drive pulley 132 is configured forconnection to one of the threaded rods 44. The second drive pulley 134is configured for connection to the other threaded rod 44. The twopulleys 132 and 134 are connected to each other using a drive belt 136that wraps around the two pulleys 132 and 134 as well as the tensioningpulley 138. The position of the tensioning pulley 138 may be adjusted tocontrol the tension applied to the belt 136.

Actuation of the belt/pulley drive train 130 is made by a motor system108 comprising a motor 110 and a gear reduction drive 112 operable torotate a shaft 114 that is connected to the first drive pulley 132.Through the belt 136, the rotation causes a corresponding (in bothdirection and speed) rotation in the second drive pulley 134. The motorsystem 108 is mounted to the cap plate 102 using a bracket 116. Acontrol box 118 is mounted to the cap plate using bracket 120 andencloses the electronic control components required to control theactuation of the motor 110 and the operation of the drive portion 108 ofthe system.

Reference is now made to FIG. 12 wherein there is shown an explodedorthogonal view of the coring system of the present invention. Thisillustration shows how the FIG. 5 base portion 30, FIG. 6 coring portion50, FIG. 8 extraction portion 80 and FIG. 10 drive portion 100 areassembled together to form the coring system of the present invention. Aview of the coring system, as assembled, is shown in FIG. 13. Inassembling the coring system it is important that proper alignment ismaintained between all of the included portions. For example, the coringportion 50 and base portion 30 must be carefully aligned to ensure thatthe coring tubes 62 are aligned with and will pass through the openings42 in the alignment block 38. Additionally, the extraction portion 80and coring portion 50 must be carefully aligned to ensure that theextraction pins 92 are aligned with and will pass through the openingsin the coring tubes 62. Still further, the drive portion 100 must bealigned with the threaded rods 44 to ensure that the pulleys 132 and 134are properly positioned to engage the rods for actuation. The sliderrods 36 are important components in effectuating the alignment necessaryto ensure proper assembly and operation of the coring system.

To restrict the downward movement of the coring portion 50, a pair ofstops 120 are mounted to the bottom surface of the coring plate. As thecoring portion 50 moves down, the stops 120 eventually contact the topsurface of the base plate 32 and terminate further downward movement.These stops 120 have a length selectively chosen to terminate downwardmovement of the coring portion 50 at a point just at or slightly afterwhere the coring tubes 62 have completed their coring operation and justbefore where the tubes may become damaged. To restrict the upwardmovement of the extraction portion 80, a set of collar stops 122 aremounted to the slider rods 36. As the extraction portion 80 moves up,the rigidity beams 84 eventually contact the stops 122 and terminatefurther upward movement. The position of the stops 122 on the rods 36 isselectively chosen to terminate upward movement of the extractionportion 80 at a point where the pins 92 have been completely withdrawnfrom the coring tubes 62. Upward movement of the coring portion 50 anddownward movement of the extraction portion 80 is restricted by theinteraction between these two portions. In this regard, a pinch pointmay be formed between the extraction plate 82 and coring plate 52 duringsome operational steps of the coring system. Appropriate precautionarysteps must be taken to guard against operator injury at the pinch point.

It will be noted that movement of the coring portion 50 is effectuatedthrough the use of the drive portion 100, threaded rods 44 and powernuts 66. More specifically, when the drive portion 100 is actuated andthe two threaded rods 44 are simultaneously rotated in acounter-clockwise direction, the coring portion 50 moves downward andwill continue to so move until the drive portion is deactivated or thestops 120 contact the base plate 32. Conversely, when the drive portion100 is actuated and the two threaded rods 44 are simultaneously rotatedin a clockwise direction, the coring portion 50 moves upward and willcontinue to so move until the drive portion is deactivated or the coringportion contacts the extraction portion 80 and pushes the extractionportion into contact with the stops 122.

Movement of the extraction portion 80, however, is effectuated manuallyby the system operator using the handles 96. More specifically, downwardmovement of the extraction portion 80 occurs responsive to downwardpushing on the handles 96 and is terminated when the pushing stops orthe extraction portion contacts the coring portion 50. Upward movementof the extraction portion 80, on the other hand, occurs responsive toupward pulling on the handles 96 and is terminated when the pullingstops or the extraction portion contacts the collar stops 122.

To assist the system operator in the manual manipulation of theextraction portion, a counterweight system 124 is utilized. A weight(not shown) is connected by a cable (also not shown) to the extractionportion 80. A pulley (also not shown) is mounted to a bottom side of thedrive plate 102 and the cable is threaded over the pulley. The weight iscontained within a vertical tube 126 and moves up and down withcorresponding down and up movement of the extraction portion 80.

Although a preferred embodiment of the coring system utilizes amechanical drive for the coring portion 50 and a manual drive for theextraction portion 80, it will be understood that the entire coringsystem (i.e., both the coring portion 50 and the extraction portion 80)may be manually driven or motor driven utilizing the counterweight andscrew drive technologies described herein.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 14A-14C wherein there are shown sideviews of the coring system of the present invention sequentiallyillustrating its operation. In FIG. 14A, the coring system is shown in astarting position. At this point, the coring portion 50 is raisedsufficiently enough to allow for a block 14 holding tubes 10 filled withseeds 12 (not shown, see, FIGS. 1 and 2A) to be inserted into the slot34 and positioned in the back portion 40 thereof such that the tubes 10are placed under the openings 42 in the alignment block 38. The driveportion 100 is then activated to move the coring portion 50 downward asshown in FIG. 14B. At this position, the coring tubes 62 have enteredthe tubes 10 in the block 14 and cored the contained seeds 12. Followingcompletion of the coring action, the drive portion 100 is againactuated, this time to move the coring portion 50 upward to a positionas shown in FIG. 14A. With this movement, the extracted cores 20 of theseeds 12 remain contained with the coring tubes 62. The block 14 holdingtubes 10 may then be removed from the slot 34 and replaced with a wellrack 22 holding tubes 18 (not shown, see, FIGS. 3 and 4A). The well rack22 is inserted into the slot 34 and positioned in the back portion 40thereof such that the tubes 18 are placed under the openings 42 in thealignment block 38. Now, the drive portion 100 is then activated to movethe coring portion 50 downward as shown in FIG. 14B. At this position,the coring tubes 62 are located just over certain ones of the tubes 18.The operator then manually pushes the extraction portion 80 down to aposition as shown in FIG. 14C (one or more times may be required). Withthis pushing movement, the extraction pins 92 enter the coring tubes 62and push the contained cores 20 therefrom for deposit in the tubes 18 ofthe well rack 22. The extraction portion 80 is then manually pulledupward back to a position as shown in FIG. 14B. Next, the drive portion100 is again actuated to return the coring portion 50 upward to aposition as shown in FIG. 14A. The rack 22 holding the tubes 18 may thenbe removed from the slot 34, and replaced with a new block 14 holdingtubes 10. The entire process may then be repeated to extract and deposita next set of cores 20.

If the number of openings 16 (for block 14) and number of openings 24(for rack 22) are equal, and further if that number equals the number ofcoring tubes 62 provided by the machine, then the operation to coreseeds and fill the well rack 22 may be performed in two steps (i.e., afirst coring step using the coring portion 50 followed by a seconddepositing step using the extraction portion 80). In such a case, it isquite easy to track samples from their block 14 position to theirposition in the well rack 22 because there is a direct mappedrelationship from a single block to a corresponding single rack. Fornumber of reasons, however, a more likely scenario exists where thenumber of coring tubes 62 is smaller than the number of openings 24 inthe well rack 22. When this occurs, it is a much more difficult task totrack samples from their block 14 position to their position in the wellrack 22 because multiple blocks are needed to fill a single rack. Theconfiguration and operation of the coring system of the presentinvention, however, addresses this issue by providing a controlled andcoordinated operation that allows for accurate mapping of samples fromtheir source tube 10 the destination tube 18.

Reference is now made to FIG. 15 wherein there is shown a top view of anexemplary block 14. The block 14 includes openings 16 arranged in a 6×8array (thus providing a total of 48 openings for holding tubes 10). Theblock 14 has a first edge 130 and a second edge 132 (that are opposedwith respect to each other). In the coring system, the coring portion 50is provided with an arrayed 6×4 set of coring tubes 62. The distancebetween adjacent coring tubes 62 (either horizontally or vertically) isset equal to d1, which is also the distance between adjacent openings 16in the block 14. Although not required, the 6×8 openings 16 may bephysically divided into two 6×4 groups 134. To assist in identifying andtracking the groups 134 on the block 14, the groups may be offsetslightly from each other (as shown at reference 136).

When the block 14 is inserted into the slot 34 of the coring system withthe first edge 130 toward the back portion 40, the subsequent coringoperation will core the seeds contained in tubes 10 that are located ina first one of the groups 134(1). Thus, samples 1-24 of this block 14are obtained with this first coring operation. Conversely, when theblock is turned around and inserted into the slot 34 of the coringsystem with the second edge 132 toward the back portion 40, thesubsequent coring operation will core the seeds contained in tubes 10that are located in a second one of the groups 134(2). Thus, samples25-48 of the same block 14 are obtained with this second coringoperation. It will, however, be recognized that the order with which theindividual samples are obtained is opposite in that the first operationwith reference to the left corner of first edge 130 collects samples1-24, while the second operation with reference to left corner of secondedge 132 collects samples 48-25.

Reference is now made to FIG. 16 wherein there is shown a top view of anexemplary well rack 22. The rack 22 includes openings 24 arranged in a12×8 array (thus providing a total of 96 openings for holding tubes 18).The rack 22 has a first edge 140 and a second edge 142 (that are opposedwith respect to each other). In the coring system, the coring portion 50is provided with an arrayed 6×4 set of coring tubes 62. The distancebetween adjacent coring tubes 62 (either horizontally or vertically) isset equal to d1, however the distance between adjacent openings 24 inthe rack 22 is set equal to d2, wherein d1 is an integer multiple (inthis case, two) of d2.

Filling of a rack 22 with sampled cores 20 occurs as follows. First,with respect to a first block 14, a coring operation on the first group134(1) is performed. The first block 14 is then removed and saved. Therack 22 is then inserted into the slot 34 of the coring system with thefirst edge 140 toward the back portion 40, and it is aligned with thealignment block 38 (in a first position) such that its openings 42 arealigned with a first sub-set of openings 24 located at the intersectionpoints of the odd numbered columns (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11) and the rowslabeled A, C, E and G. The subsequent extraction operation then depositsthe cores 20 contained in the coring tubes 62 into the non-consecutivesample tubes 18 at the first sub-set of openings 24. The rack 22 is thenremoved and saved, and the first block 14 is then returned to the coringsystem (with an opposite orientation) for performance of a coringoperation on the second group 134(2). The first block 14 is thenremoved. The rack 22 is then returned to the slot 34 of the coringsystem with the first edge 140 toward the back portion 40, and it isaligned with the alignment block 38 (in a second position) such that theopenings 42 are aligned with a second sub-set of openings 24 located atthe intersection points of the even numbered columns (2, 4, 6, 8, 10,12) and the rows labeled A, C, E and G. The subsequent extractionoperation then deposits the cores 20 contained in the coring tubes 62into the sample tubes 18 at the second sub-set of openings 24. At thispoint, one-half of the rack 22 has been filled with cores 20 obtainedfrom a single block 14.

Next, the process described above is repeated with respect to a secondblock 14 and the rows labeled B, D, F, and H of the rack 22. Inrepeating, however, the well rack 22 is rotated into an oppositeorientation from that used above and inserted into the slot 34 of thecoring system with the second edge 142 toward the back portion 40. Thus,cores 20 obtained from the first group 134(1) of tubes 10 are depositedin a third sub-set of non-consecutive openings 24 of the rack 22 locatedat the intersection points of the odd numbered columns (1, 3, 5, 7, 9,11) and the rows labeled B, D, F, and H (when the rack is in the firstposition), and cores 20 obtained from the second group 134(2) of tubes10 are deposited in a fourth sub-set of non-consecutive openings 24 ofthe rack 22 located at the intersection points of the even numberedcolumns (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) and the rows labeled B, D, F and H (whenthe rack is in the second position). At this point, the entire rack 22has been filled with cores 20 obtained from two separate blocks 14.

Reference is now made to FIG. 17 wherein there is shown a table mappingsample locations from two source blocks 14 to a single well rack 22. Thecores 20 from locations 1-48 of the first block 14 are deposited in thetubes 18 at the openings 24 located at the intersection points of theodd (first orientation, first position) and even (first orientation,second position) numbered columns and the rows labeled A, C, E and G.Next, the cores 20 from locations 1-48 of the second block 14 aredeposited in the tubes 18 at the openings 24 located at the intersectionpoints of the odd (second orientation, first position) and even (secondorientation, second position) numbered columns and the rows labeled B,D, F and H. To distinguish the locations 1-48 of the two source blocks14 from each other in the mapped FIG. 17, the locations 1-48 for thefirst block are denoted by normal-faced type and the locations 1-48 forthe second block 14 are denoted by bold-faced type. With the foregoingthe following may be observed: by specifying the d1/d2 relationship, aswell as the integer multiple relationship between the number of coringtubes 62, openings 14 and openings 24, four core/deposit operationsusing simple rotations can be used to fill the well rack in a highlyorganized and regular fashion with minimal risk for error. In this way,the operator can accurately track a core in a certain tube 18 of a wellrack 22 to its source block 14 and more particularly its source tube 10from a certain opening 16.

Although preferred embodiments of the method and apparatus of thepresent invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings anddescribed in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understoodthat the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but iscapable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutionswithout departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth anddefined by the following claims.

1. An array coring system, comprising: a coring plate including anarrayed plurality of openings; a plurality of coring tubes, each coringtube mounted within one of the arrayed plurality of openings in thecoring plate; and a mechanical drive mechanism for translating thecoring plate between a retracted position and an activated position,wherein translation towards activated position causes the plurality ofcoring tubes to core a correspondingly arrayed plurality of objects. 2.The system of claim 1 wherein the mechanical drive mechanism comprises ascrew-type drive.
 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the screw-type drivecomprises: a threaded rod; a power nut mounted to the coring plate andthrough which the threaded rod passes; and a motor connected to causerotation of the threaded rod such that rotation in a first directioncauses translation of the coring plate towards the retracted positionand rotation in a second direction causes translation of the coringplate towards the activated position.
 4. The system of claim 3 furtherincluding a second threaded rod and a second power nut, the motorconnected to cause rotation of both threaded rods.
 5. The system ofclaim 4 wherein the threaded rods rotate in response to the motor suchthat rotation in a first direction causes translation of the coringplate towards the retracted position and rotation in a second directioncauses translation of the coring plate towards the activated position.6. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the coring tubes has asharpened end.
 7. The system of claim 1 further including a base portionthat receives the correspondingly arrayed plurality of objects in aposition aligned with the arrayed plurality of coring tubes.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7 wherein the base portion further includes an alignmentblock positioned above where the correspondingly arrayed plurality ofobjects are received, the alignment block including a plurality ofopenings aligned with the arrayed plurality of openings in the coringplate and through which the arrayed plurality of coring tubes pass. 9.The system of claim 1 further including: an extraction plate includingan arrayed plurality of openings aligned with the arrayed plurality ofopenings in the coring plate; and a plurality of extraction pins, eachextraction pin mounted within one of the arrayed plurality of openingsin the extraction plate and positioned for insertion within an openingof a corresponding coring tube.
 10. The system of claim 9 furtherincluding means for translating the extraction plate between a retractedposition and an activated position, wherein translation towardsactivated position causes the extraction pins to eject any corescontained in the plurality of coring tubes.
 11. A coring system,comprising: a base portion that receives an arrayed plurality ofsamples, the base portion including a plurality of vertically orientedslider rods; a coring portion including an arrayed plurality of coringtubes aligned with the arrayed plurality of samples, the coring portionslidable along the vertically oriented slider rods between a retractedposition and an actuated position where cores are taken from thesamples; an extraction portion including an arrayed plurality ofextraction pins aligned with the arrayed plurality of coring tubes forinsertion therein, the extraction portion slidable along the verticallyoriented slider rods between a retracted position and an actuatedposition where the extraction pins eject cores from the coring tubes;and a coring drive mechanism operable to mechanically move the coringportion between the retracted position and the actuated position. 12.The system of claim 11 wherein the base portion further includes analignment block positioned above where the arrayed plurality of samplesare received, the alignment block including a plurality of openingsaligned with the arrayed plurality of coring tubes of the coring plateand through which the arrayed plurality of coring tubes pass.
 13. Thesystem of claim 11 wherein the coring portion includes a translationstop to prevent further downward movement of the coring portion beyondthe actuated position.
 14. The system of claim 11 wherein the coringdrive mechanism comprises: a vertically oriented threaded rod mountedfor rotation to the base portion; a power nut mounted to the coringportion and through which the threaded rod passes; and a motor connectedto cause rotation of the threaded rod such that rotation in a firstdirection causes translation of the coring portion toward the retractedposition and rotation in a second direction causes translation of thecoring portion toward the activated position.
 15. The system of claim 11further including handles for manual operation of the extractionportion.
 16. The system of claim 15 further including a counter-weightsystem connected to the extraction portion to assist in manual operationfor translation between the retracted and actuated positions using thehandles. 17-26. (canceled)